arising from her battle with polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Paula was born in San Bernadino, California on May 13, 1954, to Lawrence Cox and Cora Sue McCarty.

She grew up on a small farm in Merced, California where she

attended local schools. She was a member of the Merced High School class of 1972. She attended college in Tulsa, Oklahoma on a rodeo scholarship. She obtained a degree in real estate and pursued a in real estate sales and

development while in Oklahoma. She developed strong family bonds with her in-laws James and Cloda Rae Ready, while raising her daughter Anissa. She was very proud of her Native American Indian roots of Cherokee ancestry.

She returned to Merced in 1985 and worked for the City of Merced Planning Department, and as a bookkeeper/controller, and real

estate sales. She was involved in many local philanthropic activities and belonged to the North Merced Rotary Club. She was involved with Merced Community Medical Center Foundation, and the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. She served

several years as the Rotary

District 5220 Sergeant at Arms for District functions, and developed lasting friendships within the

Rotary family.

In 1992, she married the love of her life and soul-mate, Lammert, with whom she shared a wonderful, romantic love affair for the ages. She was very proud and was her family's greatest cheerleader. She and Lammert relocated to Stockton in 1996. She is an alumnus of Leadership Stockton Class of 1997-1998. She was a member of North Stockton Rotary, and continued in real estate sales until retiring in 2005.

She was a very active, take-charge person, and put all her

effort into every endeavor. She loved to compete with the guys in Fantasy Football Leagues. She loved playing golf and working golf tournament fundraisers. She was a consummate entertainer, a

master conversationalist who could make anyone feel at home. She was known for her legendary Christmas Open House celebrations at her Stockton home, everything carried out with fashion and flair. She was a tremendously

talented gourmet cook, tweaking recipes with her own personal

touches that would rival any

professional chef. Her cookbook collection numbers in the hundreds. She enjoyed gardening and interior/exterior design, and taught modeling and etiquette. She loved camping, hunting and fishing and just being outdoors.

She had a certain energy about her that would become evident at the moment she entered a room. Everything was bigger and better with her around. She encouraged spur of the moment activities and was a superb party planner. She shared an enthusiasm for wine and wine making with friends in Fiddletown, while producing award winning wines under the private